With You In Your Dreams
by racefh853629
Summary: After that day, her parents thought she was the only one left. But her dreams told her otherwise. Slight Miami crossover, character death warning.
1. Prologue

A/N: Okay, so I don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. I do, however, own Hailey, who is our story teller, and Neil. This starts in Miami, but will mostly stay in NY with the NY characters. It takes place during Season 1 (NY) and Season 3 (Miami). I hope you guys enjoy the story, and please review.

* * *

Prologue

I close my eyes as I feel the palm of his hand press against the small of my back. "Five more minutes," I whisper through the tears.

"No rush," he replies softly. I sniffle back more tears as I shiver, despite the warm Florida weather. His arm moves to around my waist, pulling me gently into his chest. I feel a sob climb throughout my body before finally escaping. All the words I wish I had said, the things I wish I had done and the ones I wish I had done differently, all come out in horrid, guilty sobs. He holds me closer, and I sink my head into his chest.

We stay this way for what feels like forever before I finally pull away, sniffling. I feel more exhausted than I ever imagined possible. I turn my head to him, and he gives me a sad, comforting smile. I nod, looking back to the casket one final time. I pull one of the flowers from the wreath before placing my hand on the smooth metal of the casket. Tears sting my eyes again as I take a deep breath and prepare my final goodbye.

"Oh, Timmy," I whisper, my words catching on the tears waiting to fall. "I love you, bro, but… Nothing. It's not important anymore." I sniffle harshly. "I don't know what I'm gonna do without my favorite big brother. I know you and Neil never made amends, but… I don't know, I thought he'd be here. Mom said he wasn't answering his phone. Well, anyway. I suppose none of that matters anymore." I sniffle again as the tears flow freely down my cheeks. "I still can't believe you're gone. You're my hero, my Superman. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I'm not sure how I'm going to last." I pause, a sob escaping my lips. I run my hand over the smooth metal again, sniffling. "I love you, Timmy. Rest in peace." I back away slightly, tears falling steadily down my face. "Goodbye, Timmy." I turn away, crying hard as I walk back to my boyfriend.

He wraps his arm around me, pulling me close. He kisses my temple, and I rest my head against his chest. I start to walk away, and he comes with me. We climb into the limo with Mom and Dad, driving back to Tim's place, where we are holding the after-funeral get-together. We walk inside to be greeted by the caterers.

"I can't believe Neil's not here," Mom remarks. I sigh.

"I know," I tell her. "I guess he felt too guilty about everything that he just didn't come."

"Still, though. It's his twin brother. He should've been here."

"It's Neil, Mom. You shouldn't be surprised." Tim's coworkers arrive before we can finish the argument.

"I'm so sorry again for your loss, Mrs. Speedle," Horatio says.

"Same to you, Lieutenant Caine," Mom replies, hugging him. I turn to him, extending my hand.

"Nice to see you again, Horatio," I say as he shakes my hand. "You remember my boyfriend, Detective Danny Messer?"

"Yes, I do," Horatio says, shaking Danny's hand. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," he says softly. Calleigh steps forward and hugs me.

"Hang in there, sweetie," she tells me. I sniffle.

"You too, Cal," I say. She steps aside as Delko walks up.

"I'm so sorry, Hailey," he says, hugging me tightly.

"I'm sorry too, Delko." Alexx hugs both of us.

"Hang in there, baby," she instructs me as she lets go of both of us.

"Never be afraid to call on us," Horatio says.

"I appreciate that, guys," I say. "2-way street."

"Noted." After a while of mingling, I excuse myself to go sit outside on the porch swing. Danny joins me a moment later, pushing the swing slightly as he sits down.

"Hey," he says softly, resting his arm behind me.

"Hi," I reply, moving closer to his chest. He says nothing, letting me get comfortable against him. I close my eyes, inhaling his scent and thanking God I have him. "How much time do I get?" He sighs.

"You know Mac'll let you take as much as you need." I nod slowly.

"I don't even wanna get up in the morning." He nods sadly, pulling me close. "I mean, I knew there'd come a day when Timmy wasn't here anymore. I just… never imagined it'd be this soon." He nods his understanding.

"I'm sorry, babe." I nod.

"Thanks." I sigh, sniffling. "And Mom won't stop obsessing about the fact that Neil's not here."

"Tim and Neil had a falling out, right?"

"Yeah, years ago. After Neil got kicked out of school. Tim told him that he was throwing his life away, and Neil said that it didn't matter. Neil was always kinda an outsider, and Tim was the good son. They were identical in looks, probably are still close, but when it comes to personality, they're polar opposites. Tim was more quiet, more reserved, just a sweet guy. He has had so many girlfriends, and treated all of them with such dignity and respect. I loved him so much for that, and he was always so good to me. He was the only one in my family that fully supported my decision to become a CSI. Mom and Dad grew into the idea, though.

"But Neil… He was always the troublemaker," I continue. "He was always the bully, always so bad in school, always causing fights. Tim was always cleaning up his messes until finally, he was just so sick of it that he told Neil off. When Tim refused to help anymore, Neil disappeared. He kept an active cell phone for Mom and Mom alone to call, just in case, but he apparently never answers, and no one knows for sure where he is. Rumor has it he's in the City, but no one really knows."

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Don't be. It's okay."

"I… really don't know what to say." I shrug.

"There's not really much you can say. I know your own family has had its falling out, but… Sorry. I have no idea what I'm talking about." He chuckles softly before kissing my temple.

"It's okay. It's tough losing family." Flack walks out of the house, sitting on the other side of me on the swing.

"Hey, guys," he says softly.

"Hey, Flack," Danny replies. Flack takes my hand in his in a friendly gesture, and I squeeze it softly.

"How you holdin' up?" I shrug.

"I just… I can't believe he's gone," I say quietly. Flack nods, quiet. "I loved him so much."

"Yeah. It's tough." I look over at him, and he gives me a sad smile. "But, you know we're all here for you."

"Yeah, I know." The three of us fall silent, sitting on the swing. Every so often, Flack gives it a little push, and we swing gently.

"You talk to Mac much?" Flack asks after a moment.

"Not yet," I reply. "He called me last night, though, to see how I was doing. He couldn't talk much because him, Stella, and Aiden were kinda busy, but he wanted to touch base with me." Flack nods.

"Aiden called me last night," Danny says. "After you fell asleep. She's worried 'bout you."

"Who isn't?" He shrugs, contemplating that thought. "I don't blame you guys. But I do love you guys."

"We love you too, babe." He kisses my temple, and Flack squeezes my hand. I sigh softly, sitting quietly with the two of them as Tim's team comes outside.

"We... are heading out," Horatio says. "Take care, guys." I stand, hugging the team one by one.

"You too," I say. "Give me a call if you need anything."

"You too, hon," Calleigh says. They shake hands with Danny and Flack before leaving. After they have gone, we sit down on the swing again, falling silent. Flack rests his arm on the back of the swing while Danny holds onto my shoulders. I rest my head against his shoulder again, closing my eyes. Slowly but surely, everyone leaves, and Mom and Dad come outside.

"I was wondering where exactly you'd disappeared to," Mom says.

"Just needed fresh air," I reply, giving her a small smile.

"We're heading out. If you want, you're welcome to stay here."

"We have a plane to catch in a few hours, so we have to get back to the hotel." She nods. "Flack drove here, though, so I think we're gonna catch a ride with him."

"Okay." Dad hugs me tightly.

"You're the only one left," he whispers to me softly.

"Don't say that, Daddy," I reply, matching his tone. "Neil's still out there."

"Neil turned his back on this family. We still have you, our wonderful daughter, and I don't want to lose you. Be careful."

"I always am, Daddy. And you know Danny, Aiden, Flack, Stella, and Mac'll take good care of me as well."

"I love you." I sniffle.

"I love you too, Daddy." He lets go of me finally, and Mom hugs me.

"Be good, and be careful," she tells me.

"I always am," I reply. They leave the three of us alone at Tim's house. I turn, looking inside briefly before sniffling and feeling tears start to well up. "Let's go, guys," I whisper. Danny nods his understanding, wrapping his arm around me and leading me to the car as Flack follows. We head to the hotel, silently packing our things before checking out and heading to the airport to make the journey back to New York, and back home.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm glad someone's enjoying this... I was kind of unsure about it. Anyway, I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. Hailey and Neil are mine, though. :) I hope you guys enjoy the story, and please review. Please. :)

* * *

Chapter 1

I sigh, tentatively knocking on the door. "Come in," Mac calls, not looking up from the file on his desk to see me through the glass door. I step inside quietly, and Mac finally looks up to me. "Hey, Hailey," he says, walking around his desk.

"Hey," I say, stepping forward. He hugs me gently, and I sigh deeply.

"How're you holding up?" I shrug as he starts to let go of me. I sniffle softly, and he hugs me closer.

"I'm sorry, I swear, I'm doing better," I tell him, tears stinging my eyes and voice.

"You don't have to apologize." I close my eyes, still holding onto Mac. He rubs my back softly, and I take a deep breath, stopping the tears. I pull away from him, and he watches me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there." I give him the strongest smile I can muster, and he smiles back slightly.

"Good. You know, you don't have to come back this soon."

"Yeah, I know, but there's only so long you can sit at home, alone, before you start to get bored." He nods sadly, knowing in some senses where I'm coming from but not knowing in others. He keeps his hand on my shoulder, still studying me.

"We're all here for you, Hailey. Don't forget that, okay?" I nod, swallowing back the lump in my throat.

"I won't." He nods, and I sigh softly. "So, what's on the schedule today?"

"You sure you're ready to work?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Mac." He nods, moving back behind his desk.

"You'll be working with Aiden today." I nod. "She'll fill you in when you see her. Hang in there, okay?"

"Will do. Thanks." He nods, and I leave his office, finding Stella waiting for me as soon as I walk out.

"Hey, sweetie," she says, hugging me. I hug her back tightly.

"Hey, Stel," I reply.

"How're you doing?"

"I'm up and down. I thought I was doing good, and ended up crying on Mac's shoulder."

"It's tough. Just hang in there, okay?" I nod as she walks into Mac's office. I walk down the hallway, finding Aiden waiting for me at the break room.

"Hey, kid," she said, throwing her arm around my shoulders. I give her a small smile. "How you doin'?"

"Hangin' in there," I tell her. She nods, walking with me into the lab.

"So, our vic is in his 30s, single gunshot wound to the chest." I nod. "I already got the scene done, so it's just runnin' the samples and putting together the pieces." I nod again as we sit down and begin to process the samples. As we're working, Danny comes in.

"Ladies," he says. "What you got?"

"Gunshot vic," Aiden says. "You?"

"Guy beaten to death on 43rd."

"Mugged?" I ask.

"Probably," Danny replies. He gives me a small smile, and I return it warmly.

"Hey, don't start flirting in front of me," Aiden quips. The two of us chuckle softly.

"Anyway, I got more important things to do than be hangin' around you, Aiden. Hailey, I'll see you for lunch?"

"We'll see," I say. "Depends on how the day goes."

"Understandable," he says. "Catch you later, babe."

"Later." He walks further into the lab, and Aiden shakes his head.

"I'm still not sure what you see in him," she remarks. I chuckle.

"You know, some days, I don't either," I admit. "And then he makes me dinner or buys me flowers or comes through for me on something, and I remember why I love him."

"You're a sap, you know that?" I chuckle.

"Yeah, true. That's something that I get from my dad." She chuckles.

"Got an IBIS hit on that bullet. It was used two years ago in a robbery, suspect never caught."

"Where?"

"Down on East 65th," she reads off the computer. "Clerk was shot in the shoulder. That's where the bullet came from."

"Alright," I say. "That one sounds slightly familiar. So what do we know about it?"

"I dunno. Let's pull the file." I chuckle.

"It's probably on Mac's desk."

"Yeah, probably." Before we go anywhere, the GCMS beeps, and I smile. I pull up the results on the screen.

"Trace on the shirt is hair dye."

"Hair dye? Got a make on that?"

"Clairol Nice and Easy."

"So, our shooter dyed her hair?"

"Does our vic have a girlfriend?" Aiden shakes her head.

"Nah. He just broke up with his girlfriend."

"Dye's fresh, so either he dyed his hair with Clairol, or he was murdered while someone he knew was."

"Let's find out."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately, folks. I've been really busy with getting ready for the school year, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to update a little more regularly. Anyway, I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and please review.

* * *

Chapter 2

_The lights were off, I remember about the room. That's the only thing I remember. Mostly because I couldn't see anything else. There wasn't any windows, either. And as something flickered in the corner, I realized there was a fireplace. I tried to get up, but all that happened was that I rattled the chains shackling me to the wall._

"_It's no use, Hailey," Tim said. "We're stuck here."_

"_We?" I asked. "As in you and me? Tim and Hailey?"_

"_No, as in Goofy and Santa Claus."_

"_I'm sorry, Tim, but my head's a little fuzzy. Not to mention, you're dead."_

"_Hey. I'm not dead, Hailey."_

"_I went to your funeral, big brother." He sighed._

"_You have to believe me, Hailey, I'm not dead." I shrugged._

"_Whatever. Look, we need to get out of here. Who knows what'll happen if we don't."_

_"It's…"_

* * *

A pounding on the door wakes me up before Tim can finish, and I make my way down the hall. "I'm coming," I grumble sleepily.

"Hey, Kiddo," Flack says as I open the door with groggy eyes. I groan.

"Danny," I call out, stepping aside to let Flack in.

"Wah?" Danny replies, half awake, from the bedroom.

"Don's here for you, and he's annoyingly awake." Flack laughs.

"Thanks, Peaches," he says. I roll my eyes.

"Too early in the morning," I tell him.

"It's noon."

"Went to bed at 4."

"It's noon."

"Didn't sleep all week." His face morphs into a somber frown.

"Still not sleeping?" I chuckle.

"Got more in common with Mac than anyone thought possible, huh?" He shakes his head. "Danny makes me sleep when he's here, so it's not that bad." Flack nods.

"Good, good." Danny walks down the hallway, dressed to go play basketball. He kisses me gently.

"Have fun, boys," I tell them. They smile.

"Oh, we will," Danny says. "I'm so gonna bust your ass, Flack."

"In your dreams, Messer." I shake my head.

"Don't kill him," I say.

"Who you sayin' that to?" Danny asks.

"Either of you. That's too much paperwork, and we don't have the time to find and train new replacements for you guys." They laugh.

"Alright, fair enough." Danny picks up his overnight bag, the one that rarely leaves my place. "I'll come by later, okay? We'll do dinner." I nod.

"Sounds good. Have fun, babe."

"Have a good day." He kisses me again, and Flack chuckles.

"You two wanna get a room?" he asks. "'Cuz I can always come back." I laugh.

"Get out of here," I say to him.

"We're going. Bye, Hailey."

"Bye, Flack." They leave, and I head back to my room, determined to get some rest. Just as I start to drift off, my phone rings. "Screw you," I say to it as I grab it. Stella. Well, now I feel a little bad for that comment… "Speedle," I answer.

"Hey, Hailey," Stella says.

"Hey, Stel. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out, do a little shopping today."

"That sounds fine." I really wasn't going to sleep anyway. "Got somewhere in mind?"

"Yeah, I do, but I'm not telling." I laugh.

"That usually spells trouble for me." Stella chuckles.

"It's not that bad."

"Alright, fine. Just give me some time to take a shower, okay? Danny and I were just woken up by a certain homicide detective who, if he does it again, will be no longer." She laughs.

"Yeah, well, Don and Danny have that standing Saturday appointment."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he has to wake me up too."

"Okay, if you say so. I'll be over in about 45?"

"Sounds good, Stella."

"Great. I'll see you then."

"Bye." We hang up, and I jump straight into the shower. I get out a short time later, get dressed, dry my hair, and put on some light makeup just as Stella shows up.

"Hey, girl," she says, walking in.

"Let yourself in, why don't you?" I joke.

"Ha-ha, you're hilarious. Glad to see you're somewhat returning to normal." I shrug.

"It's been a month. Feels like it's been three years, but it's been a month. Just feels like it's time to kind of return to life. I mean, I still miss Tim, and I always will, but I need to start putting my life back together." She nods.

"Good for you. I don't know I'd be back so fast if it were my brother. You were back in a week." I shrug.

"To each their own. For me, the best way to get over something is to work through it." She nods.

"You're a lot more like Mac than I thought," she comments. I laugh.

"That's what I was telling Flack earlier."

"Must be true." I nod, grabbing my keys and my pocket book. "I'll drive."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"And we'll get coffee before."

"Bless you!" She laughs.

"Not hard to please, huh?"

"Don't tell Danny that." She nods.

"Deal, but I gotta tell ya, sweetie, I think he already knows." I laugh.

"Yeah, probably. So, where are we off to?"

"I figured we'd get some coffee, then go to the mall." I nod.

"Sounds like a plan." We walk down to her car, getting in. She drives to my favorite local coffee shop, and afterward, heads to the mall.

"So, you're doing okay?" Stella asks as we walk inside. I sip my coffee.

"I like to think so," I reply quietly. She watches me closely.

"Because, it's okay if you're not."

"Okay, Danny." She laughs.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do." We walk into a store, and immediately start looking at shirts. "I don't know," I say, fingering the material of one. "It's hard. I grew up with two older brothers. Try being the little sister of twins, huh?"

"Must've been tough," she says, picking a pair of jeans off the rack.

"Oh, it was. Neil was always the bad seed. Got caught shoplifting when he was 6. Got in his first playground fistfight at 8. Got caught cheating in school, was disrespectful to my parents, Tim, me, his teachers, the administration, the shrink… everyone. Didn't really have many friends except those who were just like him. Got into drugs and alcohol by the time he was 12. My parents gave up on him really quickly after that. But Tim… Tim never really did. He was always cleaning up Neil's messes. Always taking care of him. Even I don't know how he did it, because I gave up too. Tim, bless his heart, did the best he could. It wore him out, though.

"That's why he moved to Miami," I continue, picking up a pair of black dress pants. "He couldn't keep cleaning up after Neil. Eventually, Neil's actions were going to bite Tim in the ass if he stayed in up here."

"You weren't afraid of that, though?" Stella asks, tilting her head as she grabs a shirt off another rack.

"Nah. Neil and I don't have the same DNA, but he and Tim do. Could you imagine explaining to Mac why DNA in a case has a full match to an internal control sample? Over and over again?" She shakes her head.

"They were identical, huh?"

"In every way. You put the two of them of them next to each other, and the only way you'd ever know the difference was by the fact that Tim always dressed a lot cleaner than Neil. Tim was always more sharper dressed. I guess, though, that Tim's relationship with Neil was the reason he was so… lax about everything in Miami. He had gotten so sick of doing everything for Neil, cleaning up after him, fixing his mistakes, that after a while, he just stopped caring. Stopped taking as good care of himself. He still dressed nicely, but his hair grew out, he stopped shaving… it worked for him, but in comparison to where he was, it was a little gross. I really couldn't blame him, though."

"Yeah."

"Tim always took care of me, though. Always made sure I was going to the right school, hanging out with the right crowd, dating the right guys. He used to scare the crap out of every boyfriend I had. Especially after he became a CSI. Loved throwing out the line about how his job had taught him all about finding the evidence, so he knew how exactly to cover it up." I chuckle, and Stella smiles. "He liked Danny, a lot. He likened Danny to a teddy bear. Generally a little squishy, soft on the inside, but can take a helluva beating." Stella chuckles at the description.

"Yeah, that does sound like him."

"Tim's usually right on in his judgment of character. Well, was usually right. But, like I said, he just seemed to stop caring as much. Little things would bother him. He spent a lot of his time brooding, being moody and dark. No one down there thought things were different, you know? I mean, he was happy. He was living a new life. But then Neil got into trouble up here…"

"Yeah, I remember that," she says. "Mac called you into his office, asked you about Neil. What ended up happening with that?"

"Neil got out of jail a few months ago. He was booked on assault, charges were eventually dropped because the victim dropped them. Neil hadn't been able to post bail, and Tim wasn't about to help him. I wanted to keep out of it, and was supported by Mac in that decision. Neil never blamed me for staying out of it, but was pissed that Tim didn't back him up." She shakes her head as we make our way into the dressing room.

"So that's why Neil didn't show up at the funeral, huh?"

"I don't know, in all honesty. Despite how much Neil felt abandoned, no one ever stopped talking to him. They just stopped cleaning up his messes. The only one he was ever angry with over that was Tim. He felt Tim owed it to him as his twin to look after him. Tim stopped caring. I thought Neil would let it go when he found out Tim was dead, but apparently, he didn't."

"Some rivers run deep." I walk out in a peach V-neck with the black pants I picked up, and Stella comes out in gray pants with a light blue cardigan. "That looks good on you," she says. I smile.

"I've never been a fan of you wearing gray, but even I can make exceptions," I say, smiling. She laughs.

"Noted." We head back into the changing stalls, and Stella sighs. "So, where's Neil now?"

"I'm not sure. I talked to my mom last night, and she says she still hasn't heard from him, but that's not unusual. The only time we usually hear from Neil is when he's in trouble. Haven't heard anything since before Tim's death, though."

"So, you have no idea if he even knows."

"I'm sure he knows. I'm also sure he probably doesn't care. Neil never really cared about anyone but himself. Tim cared about everyone other than himself."

"So, as much as they were alike, they were complete opposites."

"Yep." We finish up in that store and head into a shoe store. "You know, this could be severely detrimental to both our bank accounts." She laughs.

"Yeah, but we both know that neither of us really care." I shrug.

"You have a point." We continue talking as we shop, spending time together as friends outside of work.

"So, what're you up to tonight?" she asks. I shrug.

"I don't know yet," I say. "Probably just dinner in with Danny."

"Who's cooking?"

"Probably him because I'll make him." She chuckles.

"Got him that controlled, huh?"

"He's been willing to do most anything I've asked ever since I met him in the academy."

"He loves you."

"Yeah, I know. He has since we met in the academy."

"You were behind him, though."

"Yeah, by a couple months. We literally ran into each other, started talking, been together ever since." She chuckles.

"And you both ended up drafted on Mac's team."

"Yeah. Don't know how that happened." Stella smiles.

"I mentioned you to Mac. Thought you'd be damn good at this job, that you'd get along well with the team. He agreed, and that's how you got hired here. Danny, it's because he was top of his class."

"I was fifth. You still thought I was good enough?"

"Yeah. You were smart, tough, not willing to take crap from anyone, and you can speak two languages."

"That matters?"

"When you get Spanish, Chinese, and anything in between, knowing more than one is a good thing. Plus, it doesn't hurt that you have a brother in law enforcement, even if it is in another state."

"Tim always did come in handy," I joke. She smiles.

"Yeah," she says.

"I miss that kid so much. Miss calling him after a rough shift or tough case. Miss him bitching about his bad cases and the few times his coworkers did something to piss him off. I really miss just hearing his voice. When I was a kid and couldn't sleep, I'd go in his room. I'd wake him up, and he never once yelled at me for it. He would talk to me until I fell back asleep."

"He sounds like an amazing big brother."

"He was." I frown slightly, thinking about him.

"He's always with you, hon, in your heart and memories." And in my dreams, but I forgo telling her about that one.

"Yeah, I know." We continue shopping for a little while before she takes me home for the night.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so sorry about the lack of updates on this story. I've been so busy with school and work that I haven't had the time, and for that I wholeheartedly apologize. I hope I haven't lost any of you because of that. Anyway, I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. Hailey is, however, mine. The italics are for the dream sequence.

* * *

Chapter 3

_I looked around, keeping my eyes peeled for a glimmer of anything that could tell me where I was. Nothing. Not even a mark on the wall. Everything was bland, smoky gray, and I sighed. What the hell was going on?_

_The door I didn't realize was in the wall opened, and Tim walked in. The white of his shirt played a slight contrast to the smoke that poured in behind him. "Tim?" I asked._

"_Yes," he replied. He closed the door behind him, and leaned against the wall in his characteristic style. I watched him intently._

"_What the hell's happening?"_

"_Hey, mouth, sis."_

"_Sorry. What the eff is happening here?" He laughed, something that hasn't been heard in years._

"_Better. Listen, sis, I need your help."_

"_How am I supposed to help you? You're dead."_

"_I'm not dead."_

"_Tim, seriously, you died."_

"_No, I didn't."_

"_What are you talking about?" He looked over at the door as flames licked at it from the other side._

"_I don't have much time before the fire gets you in here. Get out while you can, and remember, I'm not dead. I need your help."_

"_How?" Before he could answer, the door burst into flames. He rushed over to me._

"_Get out of here."_

"_Tim…"_

"_Save yourself, get out of here."_

"_But…"_

"_Remember you saw me. Remember what I said. Help me later. Get out now."_

"_Tim…" He forced open the window that just appeared, and pushed me toward it._

"_I love you, Hailey. Now, go."_

_"I love you too, Tim." I climbed slowly through the window…_

* * *

I wake up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. It takes me a minute to regain my bearings and control before I realize that I'm in the break room at work. I sigh, shaking my head. I fell asleep at work. "You have a good nap?" I hear from the door. I freeze, wincing.

"Mac, I'm so sorry," I say. He walks in, shaking his head. "It'll never happen again… although I probably…"

"Hailey, relax. Your shift ended long before you fell asleep." I sigh.

"Still, I'm really sorry." He sits down across from me, concern etched in his features. "You're not gonna fire me, are you?" He shakes his head.

"No." He sighs, and I watch him curiously. "So, I assume you're not doing all that well if you've taken to falling asleep in the lab." I sigh.

"No, I'm not," I admit for the first time. Something about Mac just makes me have to tell the truth. Why, I don't understand, though.

"Have you talked to anyone about this?" I shook my head. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want anyone to worry."

"They're going to worry whether you want them to or not, Hailey."

"Yeah, I know. I just… I want my life to be normal again. I want everything to be okay again. And it's not. I fall asleep and all I see is him. He haunts me in my dreams. I try to analyze evidence and all I think about is his case and what the Miami team went through trying to find his killer. I think of all the things I wanted to say to him, and all the things I never got to say to him, and it kills me. It honestly kills me. I have so many regrets, Mac." I put my head down on my arms, determined not to let him see me cry again. I realize that the movement was futile when he reaches out across the table and rubs my arm.

"I know it hurts," he says softly. I stay still, sniffling. "You always think about the things you never got to say. About how much you miss them. Where you'd be if they were still here. But for two siblings who lived on two opposite ends of the east coast, you guys were as close as you could be."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything, Mac," I say as I look up. "He doesn't know about a lot of the things that happened up here. And I'm sure he hasn't told me a lot about what happened down there."

"That's the nature of a sibling relationship, I'm afraid."

"And Neil… God, Neil… I still hate him."

"Why's that?"

"Because he screwed everything up! If Tim didn't have to always be cleaning up his messes, he would've stayed in New York, and he wouldn't have left for Miami. If he didn't leave, he wouldn't have been in that jewelry store to be shot!" I cry even harder, and Mac frowns from across the table.

"I think that's unfair," he says softly.

"I don't care!" I shout in response. "He couldn't even be bothered to go to his twin brother's funeral!" I bury my face in my hands, shaking with sobs. Mac moves next to me, hugging me toward him. I cry against his shoulder, and he holds me there for what feels like a while before I calm down. "I'm sorry," I whisper hoarsely.

"It's okay," he replies quietly.

"I just… I had a really weird dream, and so I keep thinking about him." He furrows his brow.

"What kind of dream?"

"Tim was there, telling me that he wasn't dead and that he needed my help. But, I trust his team. They wouldn't mess up. There's no way he's still alive." He nods, sighing softly. "I think I just really want him to be alive."

"Yeah. And that's understandable." I frown, nodding.

"I miss him. Miss hearing from him every few days, his concerns that I'm still alive, him calling and threatening Danny every time we got into a fight." He smiles at that, and I sigh. "It really was funny, though. Especially after the first time Tim's gun misfired. Danny bantered back that if Tim shot him, he'd still be alive because Tim can't clean a gun." Mac shakes his head, laughing softly.

"Your brother was a character, huh?"

"Yeah," I say, biting the corner of my lip. "Tim was always fun. He was the bitter, sarcastic one who would protect me from everything. He hated that I became a cop."

"Yeah, I know," Mac says. "He called me when the NYPD got your application." My eyebrows shot up. "He never told you, did he?"

"Of course not. Did you think he would?" Mac shakes his head. "What'd he say?"

"He said that you had applied for PD as a detective, but that he would appreciate if you ended up at CSI."

"Why?"

"He felt you'd be safer there. Not that you couldn't hold your own, that wasn't his issue. He just didn't want you put in that position."

"Why?"

"He said something about you being the hope for the future." I bit my lip, tears welling up in my eyes again. "That, and he thought you liked science better than chasing suspects down." I shake my head.

"He had no idea how wrong he was." Mac nods, smiling slightly. "So, you hired me because he made a phone call?"

"No. I took a glance at you because he made a phone call. I hired you because you were qualified for the job." I nod, sniffling. "You're a great CSI, and I knew you would be after I saw your application and talked to you." I nod again before biting my lip.

"I don't think he ever wanted me to really be serious about this, though. I told him once that I was going to be a cop, and he told me that was the dumbest choice I could ever make. I did it anyway, though. He never liked it, but when he found out I became a CSI, we had more we could talk about, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Of course, his expertise was always trace, and mine's more of psychological profiling, but still, we had things we could talk about. He would explain some test he ran on some piece of evidence and how it nailed the guy, and I would talk about how I profiled a murderer or something. We had a common ground to walk on, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Neil and I never had that. And I doubt we ever will. Tim and I were a lot alike. So much so that our parents thought we were the twins." I sigh, looking down. "I'm sorry, I talk too much." Mac shakes his head.

"It's alright," he says. "Some people get through things by talking about them." I nod, sighing.

"I'm not a talker," I explain. He nods. "I usually don't talk about my problems. I prefer no one know what's going on. But, sometimes, I just need to get it out, and bless his heart, but Danny isn't always the best person to talk to." He chuckles. "He can get emotional sometimes, and it's better if he doesn't know how bad it really is. But, he knows I'm not really sleeping and that I only really do when he's there."

"Yeah. Most of us can see that." I shrug.

"I go to sleep and I dream of him. Which sounds really weird, but it's true. I know it's all part of the grieving process and that this is relatively normal, but I honestly think it's something that should be happening if I were his girlfriend rather than his younger sister."

"You guys were close. I'm not surprised at all." I shrug again, sighing.

"Doesn't really matter. I should probably go home before Danny worries about where I am." Mac chuckles before pointing through the window.

"I think he already is." I turn around and find Danny standing there, watching us. I smile softly and turn back to Mac.

"Thanks for the talk."

"Anytime. You know my door's always open." I nod, smiling.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He waves, and I walk out of the break room. Danny wordlessly slings his arm around my shoulders, and I glance back and wave to Mac before leaving with Danny for the night.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. This is a different style of chapter, a little lighter, with more banter, so I hope you guys enjoy it. If you do (and even if you don't), drop me a review. Let me know. ;)

* * *

Chapter 4

Danny walks into the living room, putting a plate down in front of me as I sit on the couch. Aiden smirks, sitting down with her own plate as Danny takes a seat next to me. "You make a great chicken parm, Aiden," I remark. She smiles.

"Thanks, Hailey," she replies. Danny smiles, complimenting Aiden as well as he pours us all wine. "You guys actually have a comfortable routine with each other now, huh?"

"Something like that." She smirks.

"Not really?"

"He can get in the way sometimes," I joke. She laughs while Danny looks offended. "Aww, come on, babe," I say. "You know I'm only playing."

"Yeah, yeah," he replies. "I hate these chick nights. Where's Flack when you need him?"

"Out with his new girlfriend," Aiden replies.

"Fifty bucks says they don't make it to Monday," I throw out there.

"No bet."

"Why not?"

"Because we all know that's true." I laugh.

"Touché."

"Stop pickin' on the poor guy, huh?" Danny says. "God, put the two of you together, and all you do is pick on everyone."

"That's because we can," I say.

"We're girls," Aiden adds. I turn to her and give her an approving smirk, and the two of us nod. Danny shakes his head, sighing.

"I shoulda gone out tonight," he remarks.

"You love my cooking."

"Yeah, I do, but I still shoulda gone out tonight."

"You love me," I say.

"Yeah, I do, but I still shoulda…" he begins. I put my hand over his mouth.

"No buts." I let go of his mouth.

"You're in a good mood today, my dear." I shrug.

"Girly days can do that for me."

"So, I take it you girls had fun, then."

"Of course," Aiden says. I smirk.

"Lots of fun," I add. Her and I look at one another before cracking up. All we did today was go for a drive and talk.

"I don't even want to know," Danny says as someone knocks on our door. He gets up, and I smile at Aiden.

"He's so well trained," she quips. I nod, and he rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, Burn." He opens the door to reveal Flack standing there.

"Date didn't go well?" Aiden asks, looking at me. I laugh.

"Oh, it was great," Flack says, walking in. "Right up until the point where her husband walked in."

"Oh… ouch," I say.

"Have some chicken parm and tell us all about it," Aiden says.

"Yeah," Danny says. "Grab a plate, a chair, and a glass."

"Wine?" Flack asks.

"Until dinner's done, yes," I reply, giving him a mock stern face. He shrugs.

"Fair enough." He grabs a plate, sitting in the other chair in the living room. Danny pours him a glass of wine, and Flack furrows his brow. "So, fancy dinner, but not at the dining table?" he asks.

"Stop asking questions," I say.

"Fancy, but comfortable, dinner," Aiden says matter-of-factly. I smile, nodding.

"Whose idea was this?" Flack asks.

"Hailey's," Danny replies.

"Got a problem with that?" I ask. Flack shakes his head. "Alright then."

"Not something I'm used to, though," Flack replies. I shrug.

"Me neither. That's why I thought this would be fun." We go back to eating dinner, and I turn to Flack. "So, she's married?" I ask.

"Yep," he replies.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She wasn't that good looking. Or that good in bed." I laugh.

"Nice to know you have standards."

"I do." As we finish dinner, Flack begins to clear away the dishes.

"You don't have to do that," I tell him.

"It's fine," he says. "I came late and was uninvited, so I should do something."

"I'll help," Danny offers, standing and walking into the kitchen. While the two of them clean up from dinner, Aiden and I sit on the couch.

"So, have you talked to your parents recently?" she asks. I shake my head. "Why not?"

"Because I really don't know what to say to them," I tell her.

"What do you mean?"

"Do I tell them I'm okay? Do I tell them I'm a mess, even though I'm not?"

"Go visit them."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we weren't that close before Tim died. It'd be a little weird if I became their little girl again now."

"I don't know about that," she said with a shrug. I rolled my eyes.

"Aiden, seriously," I say. "They aren't going to want to see me."

"You don't know that."

"They love me, yes. But I'm grown up. They hate being reminded of that. They hate being reminded that their twin boys are old, that I have a life of my own now. And they hate that when I leave them, they have to be afraid that'll be the last time they see me alive."

"Are you sure they really hate that and that you're not just projecting that on them?" I glare at her. "Hey, it's just a question. Put away the daggers."

"Sorry. I just hate people insinuating that I'm projecting my feelings onto everything. I've had that hanging over me ever since I became a cop."

"You're a woman in law enforcement. Of course every guy's going to think your feelings go into everything."

"Ain't that the truth." We fall silent for a moment, and I sigh.

"How're you really doing?" she asks quietly.

"I'm fine," I reply. She watched me intently, and I shook my head. "Stop trying to overanalyze the situation. I'm really doing okay."

"Danny said you broke down in front of Mac the other day."

"Danny really oughta keep his mouth shut."

"Is that true?"

"I was tired and had a bad dream. Mac woke me up, and I cried. It's not breaking down, Aiden."

"Okay, okay. Jeez. I'm sorry." I sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"For someone who's fine, you're awfully defensive." I shrug.

"Hazard of growing up Speedle," I tell her. "You get really defensive."

"I can imagine," she says. "I met your brother."

"Which one?"

"Neil."

"Oh, right."

"I arrested him, more appropriately."

"Yeah, I know. I'm well versed on his arrest record."

"Where is he now, anyway?"

"I don't know. Lost track of him after he got out of prison last time. Don't really care to keep track of him."

"Why not? He could go homicidal on your ass." I shook my head.

"Neil doesn't hate me," I tell her. "He has no reason to want to kill me. I'm the little sister. I'm not supposed to bail him out of anything or anything."

"But Tim is?" she asks.

"In Neil's mind, he was." She nodded, frowning.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." I shrug.

"I'm used to it," I tell her. "I grew up with it."

"Must've been hell."

"No worse than Danny or Flack's families." The two boys walk back into the room, sitting down with us. Danny throws his arm around my shoulders, and I smile, resting my head against his shoulder.

"So, Flack," Aiden says. I chuckle.

"What, Burn?" he asks.

"About your ex…"

"Oh, do we have to go through this?"

"Where'd you meet her?"

"A club. She wasn't wearing her ring. Trust me, I looked."

"When you meet someone at a club, you don't ask if they're in a relationship before you take them home?" I ask as my cell phone rings.

"No, I don't," he says regretfully.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Well, hello there," Calleigh replies. I smile softly, standing up.

"Hey Cal. How're you?"

"I'm doing okay," she answers as I walk out of the room. "I wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm…" I close the door to my bedroom behind me, locking it. "I'm living."

"I figured you were about there." I can hear the frown in her voice as she talks. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I wish, Calleigh. In all honesty, there isn't much anyone can do." I hear her sigh softly, which causes me to frown. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I know you and Tim were real close."

"Yeah, we were." I sigh softly. "Honestly, Cal, something doesn't feel right," I admit.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"I can't get rid of the feeling in my gut that says Tim's still alive."

"Hailey, he's not. I saw the body."

"I know. I don't doubt you guys and your detective work. But still… something just doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I keep having these weird dreams, and in every one, he's telling me he's still alive." Calleigh sighs.

"Hon, I don't know what to tell you. I know what I saw. I know it was him."

"Yeah, I know." I sigh. "I saw the body too. I know it was Tim." Or was it? I never could tell the difference between Neil and Tim. And it became especially bad when they stopped living near each other. You could tell close up when they were side-by-side who was who, but because Neil wasn't there… No, it had to be Tim. They wouldn't make…

"You okay?" Calleigh asks, snapping my thoughts.

"Huh?" I ask.

"You got really quiet all of a sudden."

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"Fair enough. Do you want me to let you go?"

"It's okay."

"How's Danny doing?"

"Very well, actually. I'll tell him you asked."

"Okay. He's a good one."

"Yeah, he definitely is." We talk for a few more minutes about the happenings on the streets of New York and Miami before we exchange goodbyes and promises to talk later. After hanging up, I stay in my room for a few moments, thinking. Could the dreams be telling me the truth? Could it be Neil and not Tim that was buried in Miami? And, if that's the case, where's Tim now?

The easiest way to solve this mystery is to find Neil.

But, it can't be Neil. It has to be Tim. Just because Neil's been MIA for a while now doesn't mean anything. Granted, I haven't heard back from him after he missed Tim's funeral services, but I doubt anyone has. And just because he hasn't been arrested yet this year also doesn't mean anything. But… no. I can't keep thinking this. Tim's dead and Neil's alive. I just have to find him.

GPS his cell. If he has it on him and turned on, it'll work to find him. Hopefully.

Danny knocks on the door before picking it and poking his head in. "You okay?" he asks softly.

"Yeah, fine," I say. "I'm just… thinking."

"About?"

"Stuff." He nods.

"Well, Flack and Aiden were wondering where you disappeared off to." I stand up from the bed.

"Calleigh called," I explain as I walk out of the room and down the hall with him.

"What'd she want?" he replies.

"Just to see how I was doing."

"That's sweet of her."

"Yeah." We rejoin the two of them in the living room, talking away most of the night.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: The ever-lovely school (and I mean that sarcastically) has gotten in the way, as has a little writer's block. So, I apologize for slow updates, and also warn you to expect more. But, alas, action kind of picks up in this chapter, so I will get you to that ASAP. I only own Hailey and Kim (who shows up later), the rest belong to CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, and CBS. This chapter is also the first one that switches points of view, just as a warning. Okay, enjoy, and please please please (!) review.

* * *

Chapter 5

My phone rings in the middle of the night, and I groan. I slip out of Danny's arms enough to be able to reach it. "Speedle," I say quietly, still trying to wake up enough to hold a conversation.

"Hailey," Mac says.

"What's up, boss?"

"I need you to come down to the precinct."

"Okay. Do I need to bring Danny with me?" He mumbles something about not wanting to go, and I shake my head.

"That's up to you. I just need you here fast."

"Okay, okay. We're on our way." Danny grumbles in protest as I hang up with Mac.

"Why'd you sign me up for this?" he asks.

"Because something sounded off with Mac," I reply. "I don't want to face that alone."

"Off how?" Danny stands up, starting to get dressed. I shrug as I do the same.

"I can't explain it. It was like he was concerned, like something wasn't fitting right."

"He gets like that on a case."

"This was different."

"How so?"

"It felt more personal." Danny shrugs, and the two of leave for the lab.

* * *

We walk through the front door to be greeted by Mac. "What's going on?" I ask him.

"I have something you need to see for yourself," he said. "I got called out to a homicide tonight in Jamaica, Queens. I lifted several prints from the room, including these." He shows me the computer screen, which has a picture of Tim displayed on it, as well as his MDPD information sheet.

"Tim's prints were there?"

"And they were fresh." I sit against the desk while Danny rubs my shoulder.

"So, Tim's not really dead."

"Doesn't look like it."

"Then who did we…" My voice trails off as I realize why no one's heard from Neil since before Tim's death. "Neil."

"Huh?" Danny asks. I look up at him.

"We didn't bury Tim in Miami," I say. "We buried Neil."

"How?"

"When we have a body with an ID on it, do we take prints to confirm it? No, we usually use DNA. I'm sure Miami does the same thing. Tim and Neil were identical twins. They have the same DNA."

"So, they run the DNA on the body against Tim's, and it matches. They've covered that base of ID confirmation."

"But it's also Neil's." I turn to Mac. "We need to exhume the body." Mac nods.

"I already called Horatio Caine," he says. "They're getting a court order."

"Oh, okay," I say, sighing. "What can we do?"

"We need to analyze that crime scene for any more traces of Tim, who's taken him, or where they have him now," Danny says.

"Hailey, you stay here by the phone," Mac says. "Horatio may call up and want to talk to you. I told him you were on the way in when I spoke with him. Danny, you and I are going back to the crime scene. Flack, Aiden, and Stella are on their way in to help."

"We'll find him." I nod, and Danny kisses me on the temple before walking out with Mac to go back to the crime scene. I sigh softly, bouncing my leg out of nervous habit.

What if this is true? What if Tim really is still alive? I want to hope that he is, but at the same time…

My gut says he is. I feel it. I've felt it for a little while. I look at the phone, thinking for a moment before picking it up and dialing a familiar number. I wait for the person to pick up the line before saying, "Mom?"

* * *

(Danny's POV)

"So, what are we looking for?" I ask, looking over at Mac.

"Anything to show where they might've taken Tim," he replies. I shrug.

"Okay. Where did you find his fingerprints in the room?" Most likely, that's where they kept him, and we'd probably find something.

"In that corner," he said, pointing. "So, you process over there, and I'll look around to see if there's anything to suggest who has him." I nod, walking over to where Mac pointed. I sigh, squatting down to look at the floor.

I hope for Hailey's sake that we find him, and that he's okay. She's already lost him once, and now she may be getting him back. Losing him again would kill her.

I try to push those thoughts out of my head to take care of the task at hand. Find the trace of Tim, and we may just find our kidnapper with it.

* * *

(Hailey's POV)

The phone rings, and I jump on it. "Detective Speedle," I say into it.

"Hailey, it's Horatio," he says.

"Hey, Horatio."

"How are you?"

"I'm… alright, I guess. How're you?"

"I'm good. Okay, so we have our court order, and we're exhuming the body as we speak, okay? I don't want you to worry. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"Someone wanted to kidnap Tim. We need to figure out who that is."

"I have Calleigh and Eric looking into it."

"I talked to my mother, because she was the first person to go into Tim's house. She said everything was no more messy than what it usually was with him."

"So, someone… grabbed him in his sleep."

"That would be my guess. They could've broken in while he was sleeping, subdued him for good measure, and dragged him off."

"Okay. I'll head over to Tim's house, see if I can't find some evidence still of him being taken. I don't want you to worry, okay? We'll figure this out."

"I know, Horatio. I know. Have Calleigh or Eric give me a call if they find something, okay?"

"I will. You and your CSIs will be kept in with everything down here."

"Same coming from us to you."

"Good. I, will talk to you later."

"Later, Horatio." We hang up as Hawkes walks into the room.

"Hey," he says softly. "I heard about what's going on, and I wanted to see how you're doing." I smile.

"Thanks, Doc," I reply, smiling. "I'm doing alright. I'm nervous. I just hope he's okay."

"If your brother's anything like you, I have no doubts that he's fine." I smile wider at him, and he hugs me. "I'm heading down to Autopsy. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

"I won't, Sheldon. Thanks."

"No problem. Take care." He walks out of the room, and I smile. He's always such a sweetheart.

I walk out of Mac's office, taking the opportunity to walk around the lab. Graveyard's still in their shift, and I know our shift's on their way in, if they aren't already here. I walk into the break room where Kim, one of the Grave CSIs and someone I went through the Academy with, is sitting with a folder and a cup of coffee. She looks up at me as I walk in, and I give her a smile.

"Hey, Hailey," she says softly. "I haven't seen you in a while. How've you been? I heard about your brother's death, and I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Kim," I reply. "Right now, we're not sure which brother that was. Mac found Tim's fingerprints at a crime scene tonight. His fresh fingerprints." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"No wonder the call went out for all of your team. How're you holding up?" I shrug.

"I'm doing okay. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, because this means that someone kidnapped Tim in Miami, dragged him here, and has been holding him for months."

"Yeah. He may not still be…"

"Exactly." She frowns.

"I'm sorry." I shrug.

"It's okay. I'm not really thinking much about it."

"Fair enough. Listen, if you need anything, you call me, okay? I'll be around for a bit. I gotta go right now, though."

"Of course. Take care, Kim."

"You too, Hailey." She walks out, leaving me alone once again.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Again, I'm very sorry for the slow updates, but life is running me over right now. Not to mention me getting/being sick. Anyway, I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. I own Hailey, Neil, and the rest of the bad guys. This is another chapter where POV changes, just as an FYI. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please, please, please review!

* * *

Chapter 6

As soon as Mac and Danny return from the warehouse, Mac enters his office as the phone rings. "Detective Taylor," he answers quickly while I sit unnoticed in the corner of the room. Beyond venturing to the break room for a cup of coffee, I haven't really left Mac's office. And frankly, I'd rather stay here. "Okay, great. We'll see you soon." He hangs up and sighs softly. "That was Lieutenant Caine," he says, turning to me. I furrow my brow.

"I didn't think you…" I begin. He sighs again, walking towards me.

"It's my job to notice things." I nod.

"What did Horatio want?" I ask as I watch Mac sit down across from me.

"There wasn't much evidence of who took him, but they think they have a location on where he was taken to," he says. "Eric and Ryan are working there, while Calleigh is going over some things with Alexx. Horatio's on his way up here." I nod again before sighing and resting my head against the wall. "We'll find him, Hailey."

"I know. What'd you guys get at the warehouse?"

"I think I know who killed our victim. There was evidence of at least three people in the room, one of which was Tim. One was our victim, and the other was the victim's accomplice. These two were holding Tim in the room, and evidence suggests our victim was starting to get sympathetic and wanted to go to the police. The accomplice couldn't let that happen, though."

"Because he didn't want to go to prison for kidnapping."

"Right."

"So he killed the guy to avoid prison. I imagine Tim's probably telling him to either give up and turn himself in or kill himself now, because either way he's going to prison." Mac chuckles softly.

"Yeah."

"What I want to know is why? Why kidnap Tim? What do these people get out of this?"

"Our victim, Jake Laslow, was a small time criminal with big connections for drugs. He had been in prison with Neil before, probably where they met, and the two became friends."

"So Neil hired him to kidnap Tim, and things went awry when Neil was killed?"

"I don't know about that yet. We need to ID the other guys first, and see where that takes us."

"I wonder how things would've been different if Neil hadn't gone with Horatio into that jewelry store…"

* * *

(Tim's POV)

I wake up, looking around at the new surroundings. A much more posh location than last time. Most likely because it's somebody's house. The fat guy (as I've come to know him) walks in, alone. Usually the string bean's with him, but not today. I don't even think String Bean's here.

"Mornin', Timmy," he spouts in the worst Irish accent I've ever heard. This guy seriously needs to watch a movie or two, really get that down. I say nothing, because talking's kind of hard with a gag on. Instead, I just stare angrily at him, the same way I've done every day for… a while, now. I've lost all sense of time.

"You're goin' to tell me everythin' about your sister, Hailey, today. Her friends, her boyfriend, everythin' you know. Otherwise, I'm goin' to break every bone in your body, for starters." He takes off the gag, and I cough.

"You don't scare me," I reply quietly. My voice is hoarse from disuse, and sounds foreign even to me.

"Really? Because I should. Either you tell me everythin', or I'll kill you."

"Go ahead. Everyone already thinks I'm dead. Why not make it true?"

"Those friggen cops know you're not." He stomps on my foot, and I can feel the excess weight on his body working to break the bones in my foot. I groan, but maintain my control. "That's only just the beginnin', Timmy. Tell me about Hailey."

"No," I say. "You can try all you want, but I'm not going to talk."

"Tell me, and I might just let her live," he says. I shake my head, and he punches me hard across the face. "I already know she's datin' Danny Messer. I'm sure my connections can get me everythin' I want to know. This was your last chance to save her. Looks like you chose to be stupid." He kicks me in the stomach for good measure before leaving the room and leaving me to close my eyes. I rest my head against the wall as the physical pain washes over me mixed with worry. What the hell have we gotten into?

* * *

(Hailey's POV)

Mac and I are still sitting on the floor in the corner when Stella comes in. "Mac?" she asks.

"Yeah?" he replies, turning to her. She walks over, slightly confused.

"Why are you guys on the floor?"

"Because it's the only place in Mac's office you can sit and no one outside can see you," I answer. She looks sympathetically at me. "Everyone in the lab knows about Tim's fingerprints being at the scene, and everyone's just acting funny. And then seeing me hanging out in Mac's office? Even more weird. I wanted to hide."

"I'm sorry," she says softly.

"What's up?"

"The pill Danny found crushed up on the floor was diazepam."

"Benzos," Mac says.

"Yeah, and they're not available without a prescription. Turns out they belonged to our victim, Jake Laslow."

"But you can bet he wasn't taking them," I say.

"His tox is clean," Stella confirms.

"So, they used the diazepam to subdue Tim."

"Only, I think he somehow managed to avoid taking them. Danny found a couple crushed up pills there."

"Maybe Jake stopped giving them to Tim. Kidnapper's remorse?"

"Something tells me this whole situation has gotten out of hand," Mac says, standing up. "Somewhere along the line, something went wrong."

"Why else would you risk taking a hostage across state lines?" Stella says.

"But no one in Miami knew Tim was still alive," I point out. "They all thought Neil was Tim and they knew they buried him. They didn't know Tim was still out there."

"Who in Miami knew Tim had a twin?"

"I don't know. Horatio had to, because Neil's in CODIS and AFIS. If he ever committed a crime down there, Tim's DNA would come up just the same as Neil's. I'm sure Tim explained it to him. As for the rest of the team, though, I don't know that anyone else did until now."

"What about Tim's enemies in Miami?" Mac asks.

"I don't know that he had any more than the rest of us do," I reply. "He's had some bad takedowns, but I don't know that any of them got out or would hire people to kidnap him. I don't know that Neil was in with any of them. Because in order for this to work, they had to know Neil."

"Who in Miami knew Neil?"

"I don't know, Mac. I don't know anything about Neil's life. You could ask my mom, but I don't know anything." He nods, thinking.

"Did Neil owe anyone anything?" Stella asks. "Something where they might take his brother to pay for it?"

"I don't think so, but even if they did, the evidence doesn't really suggest that," I say. "I mean, they had Neil pretend to be Tim. If they were after Neil and using Tim to get to him, why would they have Neil pretend to be Tim?"

"So, Tim is our intended target," Mac says as Danny walks in.

"Got a hit on another set of prints at the warehouse," he says. "They came back to a David Jeffries, con man down south. He has some outstanding warrants for theft, burglaries, assault with a deadly weapon and, get this, kidnapping. He's been on the run for years, last thought to be seen in Miami, Florida."

"So, David is our guy holding onto Tim," Stella says.

"But who is he working for?" Mac asks as Aiden walks in.

"I might have an answer for that," she says as Flack joins us as well. "I was looking at known associates for Jeffries and Laslow, and came up with this guy." She hands a file over to Mac, who looks at it. "Vincenzo Garafonti, leader of the Garafonti crime family here in NY. Another known associate for the family is…"

"Neil Speedle." Shit. I knew he was in with the mob, but not that mob.

"Yeah. Neil was the one that started the whole Miami part of the family with David Jeffries after Neil got out of prison last month. They mostly front the drug trade and stay away from murder as much as possible."

"Trying to stay below the radar," I say.

"Right," Aiden says before continuing. "Now, Garafonti let Neil pretty much lead the Miami group, which consists of Jeffries, Neil, Laslow, and another guy named Chris Hollister. Hollister, however, washed up in DC a few weeks ago, capped in the back of his head."

"So, Chris was in on it, then didn't want to run, so they killed him."

"According to the organized crime unit, Garafonti knew Miami was his more renegade group, but didn't sever ties with them until Hollister wound up dead. The only one left of Miami is Jeffries."

"But still, what did they want with Tim?"

"Maybe it was Neil exacting his revenge?" Danny asks. I shrug.

"I don't know," I say.

"If that's the case, why keep him in hiding now?" Mac asks.

"Because it proves that Neil's dead. Tim can't be Neil, but Neil could be Tim."

"Plus, letting him go proves jail time," Aiden says.

"But why keep him alive all this time?" Flack asks. "I mean, Neil's dead. Why keep Tim around?"

"Jeffries needs Tim for something," Mac says. "We need to know what that is and find them before things get worse."


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I really appreciate you guys being patient with me on this one. School's insane. Anyway, I don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. Hailey and the Garafonti mess do belong to me, though. :) I hope you guys are still enjoying the story, and please review.

* * *

Chapter 7

"_We need to know what that is and find them before things get worse."_

"Aiden, I want you and Danny on the phone to Miami getting Tim's case files," Mac says. "Stella, you and I are going to be on Jeffries. Flack, I want you to find out more about Garafonti's business." Aiden, Danny, Stella, and Flack all leave the office, with Mac and I remaining.

"What about me?" I ask. I'm getting sick of just sitting around the lab.

"I need you to go pick up Lieutenant Caine at the airport." I shrug.

"Okay." He reaches out his hand, and I take it, letting him help me up off the floor.

"I know it's frustrating to hang back and do nothing," he says softly. "But I can't have you involved on this case."

"I understand," I reply. I may be the newest team member, but I'm not that stupid.

"Hang in there, okay?"

"I will." I walk out of his office, heading to the parking garage. I grab a car and head off to La Guardia. As I make my way there, I get slammed in the driver's side by another car. While I'm in a groggy state, the door opens, and I'm dragged out. The last thing I see is the ceiling of a car before everything goes black.

* * *

I wake up with my head against a man's shoulder. I furrow my brow, while still keeping my eyes closed. Definitely not Danny. Where the hell am I?

"You awake yet, Princess?" a soft, sarcastic voice says from next to me. Belongs to the shoulder, I'd imagine. Yet, the voice sounds very familiar… I can't quite place it, but I know it. I groan softly in response to the question, and feel the head of the person I'm leaning against turn. "You okay?" it asks, concerned.

No, not quite. I don't know where I am or who I'm leaning against. I try to sit up, but end up falling back over a second later. The arm of the person I'm with wraps around me tightly.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you. You have a rather nasty head wound, from what I can see." That would explain why my world still feels fuzzy as hell, and why I can't place that voice. I know it, though. From somewhere. "You're gonna be okay, though. I think. I'm not a doctor, I wouldn't know."

Yeah, I can see that.

"Can you open your eyes?" I oblige the voice's wish after a moment, and the world looks as fuzzy as it feels. Holy…

"Oh, God," I say softly.

"You gonna throw up?" he asks. I swallow, shaking my head.

"No." I blink a few times before the visions before me come into focus and I realize that I'm leaning against Tim's shoulder. "Tim?"

"Yeah, Hailey. It's me." I hug him softly, and he wraps his other arm around me.

"I thought you were dead."

"I heard about that."

"Thank God you're not."

"Yeah." I look up at him as he looks to a spot on the floor on the opposite side of the room from us.

"What'd they do to you?" I ask. He shakes his head, turning his eyes back to me.

"Never mind that," he replies. "They want something with you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. What'd you do to piss them off?"

"Me?" I repeat.

"Yes, you. Why else would they be after you if you didn't do something to them?"

"We thought they were after you."

"Why me?"

"Neil was the head of this group in Miami, tied to Garafonti here. Jeffries, Laslow, Hollister, and Neil were all operating drug trafficking in Miami, finding ways to ship them up to New York for them to be sold by Garafonti and his family. Only, Neil was killed in your place on duty, Hollister…"

"Was the one they wasted in DC?" Tim asks. I nod.

"Yeah," I reply. "Laslow…"

"The warehouse."

"And Jeffries is left."

"Well, he wanted you." I sigh softly, gently leaning my head back.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Hailey." Tim sighs, and I look over at him.

"They don't tie you up?" I ask. He smirks.

"Rope," he replies. "Easy to slip out of. The handcuffs were a little trickier, but String Bean was the one that insisted they used them before. With him gone, Fat Guy just uses rope. Not hard for him to pummel me into the ground if he wants to. He already broke my foot, I'm pretty sure he knows I'm not going anywhere."

"And me?"

"He doesn't know you." I chuckle.

"You're just saying that to be nice."

"Well, yeah." I smack him in the stomach gently. "Ow. Hurt ribs here, hon."

"Sorry, Timmy." He sighs, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall. "We've gotta get out of here," I say after a moment.

"I know," Tim replies. "How do you suggest that, though?"

"Can you get up?"

"Can you?" I stand up slowly before bending over and grabbing the rope that had been used to tie us up. "You know something?" Tim says after watching me for a moment. "I think I have an idea…"

* * *

The door creaks open, and Tim nods, standing against the wall. Jeffries sees him, and gets angry, rushing into the room. He trips over the rope he didn't see that we'd set up across the doorway, and falls to the floor. I grab the gun he brought into the room with him from his waist and held it to his head. "Move, and I blow your brains out," I growl. He doesn't respond, but listens. Tim tosses me the other rope, and I tie up Jeffries' hands. Tim limps over, grabbing the other rope and tying up Jeffries' feet. "Now," I say. "Let's leave him here."

"Lock him in?" Tim asks.

"Of course."

"Set the house on fire?"

"Ooo, that'd be a nice touch."

"You wouldn't," Jeffries says. We look at him.

"What makes you say that?" Tim asks.

"You're scientists. You rely on the evidence. Burning the house destroys it."

"You know, he has a point, Tim," I say.

"Maybe we should just shoot him," Tim replies.

"You wouldn't," Jeffries says again.

"See, you think that, but we would. With our injuries and the fact that you kidnapped both of us, it's self-defense. No D.A. would think to prosecute."

"Plus, it promises us protection from you, should you ever get out of prison," I say.

"Oh, but that won't happen," Tim says.

"No, definitely not."

"Killed a man here."

"And we have the death penalty."

"Oh, and that other guy in D.C."

"There's at least another life sentence."

"Not to mention the Miami charge of kidnapping an officer," Tim continues.

"And a matching charge of that in New York, coupled with leaving the scene of an accident," I add.

"Although, I think that one might slide."

"Yeah, he's got enough other stuff on his plate."

"Yes, he does."

"Not to mention all the charges in all those other states that have warrants out for his arrest."

"And there are a lot of those."

"So, I doubt he'll see the light of day again."

"No matter what we do." The two of us turn around, walking out the door of the room and locking it behind us. Tim sits down on the couch, stretching across it and elevating his ankle while I find a phone. "You think he'll get out?" Tim asks. I shrug.

"I doubt it," I reply. "At least, not before someone finds us."

"Who you gonna call?"

"Ghostbusters." Tim looks at me, smirking.

"Well played. But, seriously."

"Mac." I pick up the phone, dialing his cell number. "This would be so much easier if we had our cell phones."

"He smashed mine a long time ago," Tim says.

"Mine's in the car," I reply.

"Detective Taylor," Mac says into the phone, confused.

"Mac, it's Hailey. I'm calling you from a landline."

"We're on it. Are you okay?"

"More or less. I'm with Tim. Jeffries is tied up in the other room."

"Okay. Listen to me, I need you to stay on the line a little while longer, and we'll be out there with EMS shortly."

"No problem. We're not going anywhere. Did anyone ever get Horatio from the airport?" Mac chuckles softly.

"Yeah, he's here."

"Good. How's everyone doing?"

"They're worried about you," he says as I hear him start the car. "We're on our way."

"Alright," I say. "Do you need me to keep talking, or what?"

"We've almost got your location, so just hang on a minute."

"No problem." Tim groans in the background, and I turn to him. "You alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, fine," he replies. "Just moving."

"What happened?" Mac asks.

"Tim rolled over," I reply. "He's pretty beat up, Mac."

"EMT's are on their way, as are we. We'll be there soon."

"Great."

"I wouldn't be jumping for joy so soon," Jeffries says as he walks out of the room. "Did you not think that maybe there was a key? That I had the key?"

"Oh, shit," I say.

"Hailey?" Mac asks. "What's going on?"

"Hang up the phone right now," Jeffries says. I put the phone on the table after pressing the volume down button right next to the power button. Wielding his knife, Jeffries shakes his head. "For two detectives, you guys are actually pretty stupid."

"Actually, she's a detective," Tim says. "I'm just a scientist." Jeffries throws Tim off the couch and onto the floor.

"Doesn't matter what either of you are. Right now, you're both going to pay."


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Still don't own anyone you recognize, only those you don't. Sorry again that updates are slow... school and stuff. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and please review.

* * *

Chapter 8

"_Right now, you're both going to pay."_

Jeffries rushes over, grabbing my wrist roughly. "Starting with you, bitch," he says, jerking my arm quickly. I yelp slightly as he throws me onto the ground.

"Leave her alone," Tim says. Jeffries scoffs.

"Typical. Save her, hurt you, right?" Tim doesn't respond, but Jeffries doesn't really need him to. Jeffries kicks Tim in the head, causing him to black out. "How does that work now?" Jeffries asks Tim.

"You sick bastard," I shout. He sinisterly turns toward me, grinning.

"You know, if I were you, I wouldn't say shit like that. You're on your own right now, and I'm most definitely stronger than you." I shrug, standing.

"Clearly, you've never really met me."

"From what I've heard, you're a weak, pathetic little bitch that needs to be taught a lesson. Both of you do. Neither you or him took care of Neil. He was family, and you kept kicking him around like the unwanted dog."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?"

"Is that what this is all about? Neil? Avenging his past? Is that what Neil wanted with you guys taking Tim?" He doesn't answer, but I can tell by his expression that he knows I'm right, so I continue. "Neil wanted you guys to kidnap Tim and make him pay for ditching him. And while you guys were doing that, Neil would pretend he was Tim and go to work and everything. But, Tim was bad about gun cleaning, and the gun Neil carried jammed in that shootout, so Neil was killed. And then you guys were stuck with Tim.

"Hollister and Laslow wanted out, didn't they?" I ask, continuing to speak. "Hollister thought taking Tim to New York and taking me too was a bad idea. After all, your boss lives and operates up here, and you guys had gone rogue. Garafonti would kill you if he found out. So Hollister wanted out, and you convinced Laslow to help you kill him, so that Hollister couldn't turn both of you in.

"But by the time you got to New York, Laslow was having second thoughts. You saw your answer then the same way you had before. You knew you had this house to stay in, so you took your chance. You killed Laslow, knocked Tim out, and dragged him up here. Then you finagled the car accident and kidnapped me too. All for what? Avenging Neil? I didn't even do a damn thing to him. Neil wasn't mad at me. Neil didn't give a shit what I did."

"That's where you're wrong!" Jeffries bellowed. "You have no idea what it did to him to have his own siblings gang up against him. Neither of you cared about him, and he hated you for that. We were his family, us, not you. I decided to help him make things right. And now, I'm going to finish what I started."

* * *

(Horatio's POV)

I sit back, letting Mac take the lead on this. After all, no one… knows these guys better than him. Not even me. These guys were operating when I was up here, but they… they were different back then. Much as I was.

Mac signals for us all to huddle up, and he begins to speak. "Okay, we have one guy, David Jeffries, multiple wants and warrants. He's the prime suspect in the murders of Jake Laslow and Chris Hollister, and he is still holding Tim and Hailey hostage. He is most likely armed, and most definitely dangerous. Let's go."

We line up, guns drawn, ready to dispense some justice. No one… hurts one of my people… and gets away with it. We enter the house as Mac shouts, "NYPD!" Everything is silent, and we look around. Speed is the first one I see, laying on the floor in a pool of blood. While my mind flashes back to the jewelry store, I run over to Speed.

"Speed," I say, pressing my fingers against his carotid. Thankfully this time, I feel a pulse. "Mac, call fire rescue right now!"

"They're on their way," he replies. The others with us mention that the place is clear, and I try to stop Tim's bleeding.

"H," Tim says weakly, after his eyes open slightly.

"Stay with me, Speed," I say. "Help is on the way."

"Hailey…" I look over at Mac, who's kneeling on the ground and talking softly to someone behind the couch.

"She'll be alright, Speed," I tell him unconvincingly. He sees right through it.

"You're…" he coughs roughly.

"Stop talking, Speed. Just… hang on." He nods, and I look at Mac. He looks up, giving me a sad look as the EMTs arrive on scene to take care of Tim and Hailey. Both of us back away from the siblings, walking over to each other and outside the house.

"How is he?" Mac asks. I shrug.

"He… will be okay," I say. "How's Hailey?"

"She'll make it."

"Mac, we need to get this guy."

"I know. Our first step is to…"

"Process this room."

"He left us something…"

"And we… We… are going to find it."


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, so I just realized I suck and haven't updated in a while, and for that I apologize. I've also been really busy, though, with school and everything. So, without further ado... I still don't own CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, CBS, or any other known entity. I hope you enjoy, and please review. :)

* * *

Chapter 9

I wake up with Danny sitting in the chair next to my bed, dozing off. I smirk to myself before hearing him groan softly. "Don't say it," he says quietly. I continue to smirk, shaking my head.

"I'm not saying anything," I reply as he stands.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he jokes. I shrug softly.

"But it makes life fun," I banter back.

"No, it doesn't. I love you too much to lose you, Hailey."

"I love you too."

"C'mere," he says, sitting on the bed and wrapping his arms around me. I hug onto him tightly as he kisses me on the top of the head. He rests his chin on top of my head, content to just be sitting there with me.

After what happened, this is all we really want.

Mac walks in, smiling softly. I'm assuming that's because I'm okay, but whatever. "Hey," he says softly. "How're you feeling?"

"Not bad, right now," I tell him. "Good pain meds."

"I bet," Danny says softly. I smile softly at him, and Mac cleared his throat gently.

"What happened, Hailey?" he asked softly.

As I tell them the story, Danny hugs me closer, more out of protectiveness than anything else. As I finish up, I sigh. "Wait, where's Tim?" I ask quickly, worried that he wasn't okay.

"He's in the next room over," Mac tells me. I smile softly.

"Good, good. Is he okay?"

"He's going to be fine. He's been asking about you."

"Okay, okay. Time to go visit, then."

"Sit still," Danny says.

"No, dammit," I say. "I thought he was dead. I'll be damned if I'm just gonna sit around here." I start to get up before realizing the drugs are a little stronger than I think and I lose my balance. Danny catches me before I fall and I look over at him, smiling. "Good catch."

"Yeah, yeah. Now, why don't we sit down?"

"Why don't we not and say we did? I want to go see my brother."

"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope." Danny looks over at Mac, who smirks slightly. "Come on." Danny shakes his head, grabbing my arm gently and helping me walk next door to my brother's room while Mac follows behind us. We walk in, finding Horatio standing in the corner of the room with his hands on his hips and his eyes trained out the window. Tim is laying in bed, eyes closed. I frown. "Is he asleep?" I ask. Horatio turns his head.

"No, he's not," Tim replies, opening his eyes. I smile, sitting on the bed.

"How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay. You?"

"I'm good." I rest my hand on his shoulder, and he smiles. "I'm glad you're okay," I tell him.

"Thanks, Mom," he jokes. I stick my tongue out at him. "I'm glad you're okay too, sis."

"Yeah, no thanks to you, asshole."

"Ha-ha. I tried my best. I'm sorry I had a fucking broken foot and had been beaten and shit for weeks."

"What'd they do to you, Tim?" I ask softly, moving my hand to hold onto his. He shakes his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," he replies. I look at Horatio, who is looking out the window once again.

"But you will, right? At some point?" Tim doesn't respond, and I watch him. "I'll take that as a maybe if I'm drunk enough." Tim snorts softly, and I know that means I'm right. I bite my lip quietly, thinking.

"You can't make me," he whispers softly. I look down at him.

"I wasn't about to," I reply, matching his tone. He nodded quietly, and I chuckle softly, smirking.

"What?"

"You sounded like a little kid." He shakes his head.

"Maybe," he mutters, looking out the window. I frown softly, rubbing his hand with mine before leaning closer to him.

"I'm sorry, Timmy," I whisper. He looks at me.

"For what?"

"Everything. I'm sorry for what Neil did to you, and I'm sorry that this had to go down this way. I'm sorry no one ever made peace with Neil, even though he didn't deserve it. And most of all, I'm sorry for what they did to you. What's always been done to you."

"None of that's your fault, Hailey, and you know it."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make me feel better."

"None of this was something you did to me. Something you did to Neil. No one made him become a criminal." I sit up, turning away from Tim.

"Something made him snap," I tell him softly.

"And whatever it was, was in the past," Tim replies. I look around the room to realize that everyone's left us alone to talk. "Neil had the chance to move on, Hailey, and he chose to move on in that way."

"For Christ's sake, Tim, you don't know what it was!"

"Oh, and I suppose you do?"

"Maybe," I say, conceding a little while turning back to look at him.

"What?" he said softly, his anger subsiding for the moment.

"I… It…" I look down at the bed, sighing. "I'll tell you some other time."

"Why not now? He was my twin brother, Hailey! I think I have the right to know what messed him up so bad that he became the person he did." He sighs, and I continue to look at the bed, not saying anything. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"I have the feeling this is something you saw and never told anyone," he says softly.

"You're not a CSI for nothing," I reply with a casual shrug. He sighs.

"How'd it end up like this, Hailey? With all of us damaged this way?" He sighs again, turning his head out the window while I continue to stare at the bed.

Both of us know I don't need to answer.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: I'm sorry it's been a week since I've updated, but I've been super busy. I still own no one except Hailey. We're getting close to the end, so let me know what you're thinking. :)

* * *

Chapter 10

"Jeffries is still out there," I say, looking at Danny a few days later in our apartment. He sighs.

"For now, he is," he replies. Tim shrugs.

"We'll find him," he says.

"Just a matter of time."

"Do we have any leads?" I ask, looking at the two men before me.

"Yeah," Danny says. "It turns out that you need to rest." I furrow my brow while Tim smirks slightly.

"Not nice."

"C'mon, Hailey. Let's get you back to bed."

"How about we agree to disagree, and I'll sit on the couch?"

"Fair enough," Danny says, watching me sit on the couch with a sigh.

"You need to go to work," I remind him.

"Not until Stella or Aiden get here."

"We can take care of ourselves."

"Mac doesn't want you guys alone, in case Jeffries comes back to finish the job."

"We can take care of ourselves," I repeat.

"I know you can, but Mac doesn't want to risk it, and neither does Horatio."

"We'll be fine, Danny," I say with a sigh.

"I'm sure you will be, but we're not willing to take that risk right now."

"He could just as easily come after us with you all here, you know," Tim says, looking at Danny.

"Tell that to Mac or Horatio," Danny replies. Both Tim and I look at each other, thinking the same thing.

"Who're you waiting for before you leave for work?" I ask.

"Stella or Aiden."

"So, if Jeffries is stalking us…"

"He's not," Flack says, walking in. "We just picked him up." Tim and I look at one another again before turning back to Flack.

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm serious. He dropped by Trinity, saying he was Neil Speedle and he was looking for his siblings."

"But Neil's dead."

"Yeah. The staff detained him, and Mac and Horatio picked him up. Not sure who's going to prosecute him, though, as he's murdered in DC and here."

"Probably here," Tim says. "He also kidnapped an officer up here."

"And we have the death penalty," I say.

"It's all up to politics," Flack says.

"So, it's over." I look over at Tim, who sighs.

"Yeah, it's over," he says softly. He looks down, and I look at Danny and Flack.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" I ask them.

"Sure," Danny says, leading Flack into another room. I turn to Tim.

"I know, it's not really over," I say softly. Tim looks over at me.

"Oh?" he asks. "You know everything?"

"I didn't say that. Being kidnapped is rough, especially when you know no one's looking for you. I don't know what they did to you, and I know you're not talking, so that's what tells me it's not really over."

"You know, you should be a detective." He smirks, and I smile.

"Yeah, maybe I could've done that." I move to sit next to him, and he sighs.

"I'm not going to talk because you want me to," he says.

"I know," I reply. "I know you'll talk when you're ready. And it may not be to me, it may be to Calleigh or Eric or Alexx or Horatio. But I know you'll get there when you get there."

"Yeah," he sighs, nodding.

"I'm okay with that." I mess up his hair, and he half-frowns and half-smirks.

"Ass."

"Yeah, I know. I learned everything from my bestest big brother."

"I didn't know you and Neil were close." He furrows his brow after making that statement, and then says, "Actually, I think you were closer to him than I was."

"Not really," I say. "I only really knew anything about Neil because I was there. When we were kids, you were out somewhere, and I was following Neil around."

"Because you followed everyone around."

"Shut up, I was at that age. Anyway, I followed Neil without him knowing to this place… I forget where we were, but anyway… Neil was hanging out with his friends, and one of them was going to buy drugs. They all thought this was a good idea, and when they tried, the dealer told them they didn't have enough. They jumped the dealer, because there was more of them than him, and Neil… Neil didn't want to do that. The gang that the dealer worked for came around the corner, and… well, that didn't end well." I look down, and Tim grabs my hand. "The gang beat up Neil and his friends, and I ran away."

"I remember that," Tim says. "Neil never talked about how or why he got beat up, and Mom made him go to the hospital. Did he know you were there?"

"Yeah," I say. "We talked about it later on. He was mad at me at first, but then forgave me, because at least he had someone he could talk to."

"If he had someone to talk to, how did he still end up the way he did?"

"I don't know, Tim. I don't know how he ended up this way. As much as he talked to me, I was still his little sister. I wasn't enough of a confidante."

"You weren't me," Tim said sadly. "You weren't his twin. You weren't expected to clean up his messes. He's dead, and I'm still cleaning up after him. I'm still suffering for his mistakes."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's Neil's. He couldn't get through his skull to get things together for himself. He felt like he always had to rely on me to get him out of everything. And when I refused to do it, he hired someone to kidnap and torture me. I did nothing wrong. I moved to Florida to get away from him, and he followed me. He got his buddies to kidnap me and torture me and then try to kill me! And you too, and you didn't do anything to him either. I got beaten night after night by his friends, just to avenge him, and I did nothing wrong. Nothing."

I sigh, moving closer to him and wrapping my arms around him. He wraps his arms around me, and I rest my head against his shoulder. "We'll get you through this," I tell him.

"I'm fine," Tim replies. I glare at him briefly, and he shrugs. "Relatively fine."

"No, you're not, and I can see that, but it doesn't matter. We're here for you, and we'll get you through this."

"Yeah." He closes his eyes, resting his head against mine. "Thanks, sis."

"No problem, Timmy." I squeeze him gently, and the two of us start watching TV just to pass the time.


	12. Epilogue

A/N: I know, I haven't updated in forever, but life is deciding to slowly kill my spirit. Anyway, I still only own Hailey. This is the last chapter, so I hope you have enjoyed the ride and please review! :)

* * *

Epilogue

We walk into Mac's office, looking at both him and Horatio. "You wanted to see us?" I ask, sitting on the couch. Tim follows my lead, and our bosses look at both of us.

"First of all, we wanted to see… how you guys are doing," Horatio says, taking the lead. I look at Tim.

"I'm doing fine."

"I'm alright," Tim says unconvincingly. Not that he'd ever admit otherwise anyway. I sigh softly, looking back at Mac and Horatio.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Guards walked into the holding cell last night to find Jeffries dead," Mac says, looking at us.

"Suicide?"

"Looks like it."

"So, that's it, then," Tim says quietly.

"That's it," Horatio says. "It's over, Speed." Tim nods, and I eye him carefully. He doesn't believe what Horatio's saying, and I know that, but I also know that again, Tim'll never admit it.

"So, now what?" I ask after a moment. Mac and Horatio look at one another.

"Speed, we want you to know you have some options here, okay?"

"What kind of options?" Tim asks, looking between our two bosses.

"Both of us could use another experienced CSI," Horatio explains as Mac nods.

"I understand New York could be difficult, given all that's happened," Mac says. "But, I want you to know the choice is yours."

"You don't have to decide right away."

"And you can talk it over with us or Hailey."

"Okay," Tim says with a nod. He looks at me, nodding, and we excuse ourselves from Mac's office to go sit in mine. This should be an interesting conversation…

* * *

With Horatio already back in Miami, I sit on the couch in my apartment a few days later. Tim walks into the room, and I look over at him. "Are you ready now?" I ask him.

"Hold your horses," he replies. I roll my eyes.

"And you say girls take more time to get ready."

"You've never tried going out with Calleigh."

"Come on, already. We're going to be late."

"If you'd shut up, I'd be ready already."

"No, you wouldn't," I mumble.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing. Let's go."

"Alright, alright." We leave the apartment, climbing in the car. The drive is silent, neither of us really wanting to talk as we make our way there. I climb out of the car with him once we reach our destination, and we walk inside.

He signs in, and I turn to him, sighing softly. "So, this is it," I say.

"It's not it," he replies, furrowing his brow. "It wasn't it before."

"Yes, it was."

Tim knits his brows together. "What do you mean?" he asks.

"We miss out on so much of each other's lives this way."

"We have phones. That's always worked well for us before."

"Just… do me a favor then, okay?" I say. "Actually talk to me, let me know what's going on. I know I'm your little sister, but there's nothing to protect me from anymore." I watch him smile slightly.

"There's always something to protect you from," he replies. I roll my eyes.

"Not when it comes to you and your life. Just be honest with me."

"As long as you do the same."

"Deal." I wrap my arms around him tightly, squeezing him. "Take care of yourself, okay?" I say. "And say hi to Eric and Calleigh and Alexx for me."

"I will," he promises, squeezing me back gently and kissing me on the forehead. "Take care of yourself too, and tell Danny that if he gets outta line, I won't hesitate to come up here and shoot him."

"Funny, Don tells him the same thing every day." I laugh, and Tim smiles.

"I bet. Take care, Hailey. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Bye, Tim." I let go of him as he turns and makes his way to and through airport security, heading to his plane. We had talked, and Tim decided that the place for him, the best place for him to heal, would be in Miami. I agreed with him, and still do, which is why I smile and wave as he turns and waves to me before heading toward his gate. I leave the airport, heading off to my car and a long day of work.

The End


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